


Prologue to the Joe-Killer (An Epic Tale To Be)

by nanda (nandamai)



Category: Mad Max Series (Movies), Mad Max: Fury Road
Genre: Everyone's glad Organic is dead, F/M, Furiosa has good people skills, Gen, Male-dominated society makes male-dominated assumptions and Furiosa doesn't care, Max collapses immediately after the movie as is right and good, Milk Mothers guest appearance, One Shot, Platonic or not it's up to you, deceptive title, really it's a one shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-26 07:01:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4994752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nandamai/pseuds/nanda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'"It wasn't me!" he says. "Furiosa killed Joe!" His words don't carry over the clamor. The crowd is so close, and he's so dizzy, and then the world is black.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Prologue to the Joe-Killer (An Epic Tale To Be)

**Author's Note:**

> I just want post-movie cuddles. Max, on the other hand, wants not to be the hero of his own movies.

Max turns away when he can no longer see Furiosa and the other women. He needs to leave, fast. He's hungry and dizzy and thirsty and he wants to lie down in the mud under the fall of water but there are too many people, too many sounds and smells, and he doesn't want them to think --

"Joe-Killer," a woman says with quiet awe. Then, louder, "Joe-Killer! It's the Joe-Killer!"

Others turn to look and the crowd swarms closer. "Joe-Killer!"

"Furiosa," he says. "Was Furiosa killed Joe," but it's too late.

"Joe-Killer!" more voices call, louder and louder. They were chanting her name, and now they're chanting for him, what they think he did. He hopes she can't hear, high up as she is. He doesn't want to steal her victory; he emerged from the truck first and displayed the corpse only because they thought the remaining War Boys might shoot anyone they saw. And then he tried to disappear.

"Joe-Killer! Joe-Killer!"

"It wasn't me!" he says. "Furiosa killed Joe!" His words don't carry over the clamor. The crowd is so close, and he's so dizzy, and then the world is black. He thinks he's dying, and he finds he doesn't mind. At least he got them home.

*

He wakes to a horrifyingly familiar smell, sits up too quickly, and immediately vomits over the edge of the stone bench where he's been lying. He looks around in panic. The cages are empty and somewhere, dimly, he recognizes that as good, but he needs to get out.

"Oh, no, you don't," says an approaching voice that takes him a few moments to place. He looks straight at her with wide eyes and sees long, graying braids, goggles still on the top of her head.

"Gin," he says with some relief. The older Vuvalini had called her Ginny, but Furiosa and Valkyrie, closer to Max's age, had called her Gin. She's the one who seemed to know about medicine but didn't help Furiosa until he told her what to do. Later, on the long drive back, he decided she must have been in shock. Her eyes look much brighter now.

He still wants to run, but he lets her help him lie back down. There's a pillow -- there were no pillows before, for the War Boys -- and he looks desperately across the way before asking, "Furiosa?"

"Right there, sonny." She helps him raise his head just enough to see Furiosa's shorn hair on the next bench along, by his feet.

His head floats again. "Is. Is she okay? Does she need more blood?"

Gin chuckles. "If she did, you don't have enough to share."

He looks up at the empty cages again.

"Let 'em go first thing," she says, pressing a hand to his forehead to keep him down. "She's fine. That monster of a doctor kept a stash of antibiotics, and the girls found plants for a poultice. Had to use some on you, too." She nods towards his left hand.

He raises it to see wrappings of the same white fabric the Wives wore. The wrist is red and swollen, and he feels pressure under the bandages. It's infected.

"No wonder she called you Fool," Gin says kindly. "Don't know how to take care of yourself. Now let's try to get some water in you, see if you can keep it down this time. Miriam, come help me."

Another woman approaches, heavyset, so strange to see in the wasteland, and with bare breasts. He remembers one of the Wives mentioning Milk Mothers, and thinks this must be one. She props his head up while Gin holds a cup to his lips, and he swallows dutifully. The water has a sweet spice in it, something he half remembers from Before but can't name.

When he lies down he takes a deep breath, hoping it will calm his stomach, but it only reminds him of the stench of blood and piss. He shakes his head and sits up again, even dizzier now.

"Can't," he says, shaking. "Can't stay here."

Gin nods. "Pups told me what the bastard did to you. You're safe now. You need to heal." She tries to push him back down.

"Not here," he says. Nausea is closing in again. "Can't."

"Max." It's Furiosa's voice, rough and dry. Gin goes immediately to bring her water.

Furiosa pushes the water away, and beckons with her arm over her head, fingers fluttering. "Max, come over here."

He can tell by Gin's face that she doesn't approve, but maybe she already knows there's no arguing with Furiosa. She helps him hobble the few feet to her bench.

"The ledge above me," Furiosa orders, and between Gin and Miriam, they manage to hike him up there. 

Max settles on his side so he can see her, and watches her accept the water.

"Can't," he says again. 

She pushes the cup away once more and Gin huffs, but backs off. "Won't put me off forever, girl."

"Give us a minute," Furiosa says.

"This room," Max says. His shaking is getting worse. "This room, Furiosa." 

"Just for a little while." Her right eye is still swollen shut, but her face is clean of blood and her left eye is open and clear. "Just until you're a bit stronger."

He shakes his head. He's on her right side, and she raises her hand to grasp his. 

"Please," she says. "I need you here."

He doesn't think that's true: Furiosa doesn't need anyone. But he recognizes it as a kindness. He needs medical attention, and she'll use any tool she has to make him get it. She already knows he can't say no to her. He tried.

"How long?" he says pitifully. The backs of his eyes prickle and he blinks. He's so tired. His bandaged hand throbs.

"Gin's promised to move me upstairs as soon as I can walk. Maybe tomorrow?" she says, and he can hear in her tone that she doesn't like this place, either. He wonders what their doctor did to his other patients; he'd spit if he had any. Maybe she does need Max, after all. "You can come when they move me."

He nods and squeezes her hand. 

Gin brings them both more water, and they drink without complaint, but when she suggests food, Furiosa insists the other woman -- Miriam -- bring something fresh from the gardens. Max is sure she knows that all he ate here before, while he was bled, was mealworm slop.

"Yes, Imperator." Miriam hurries away.

Gin sighs. "That'll take time to fix."

"We have time," Furiosa says. 

Max fuzzily recalls what happened before he passed out. "They thought I killed him," he says, not wanting to speak the name. "I'm sorry. I tried to --"

"We have time to fix that, too," she says. "The girls and the other mothers have everything under control." Her eye is beginning to droop, and she says, "Sleep now." 

He watches her fall under and tries to wait for the food, but doesn't last.

*

Good as her word, Furiosa convinces Gin to take her and Max to the other tower the next day. It's a slow walk, with both Vuvalini, two Milk Mothers, and several Pups helping them along.

They arrive, finally, at her room and collapse without dignity on her bed. Once Gin finishes checking their bandages and leaves them alone, Max notices a bunch of fresh flowers, a riot of colors, in a glass on the desk. 

Propped up against the glass, and against the wall next to it, are half a dozen different pencil drawings of Furiosa standing atop the water tower, holding aloft a severed head with scraggly hair and a breathing mask.

He smiles.

**Author's Note:**

> [Here I am on Tumblr and there's lots more Mad Max.](http://nandamai.tumblr.com)


End file.
